Review: KING HAMLIN, Park Theatre

King Hamlin is a play of good intent. Gloria Williams' latest explores gang culture, unemployment, and race through the eyes of three underprivileged young men in the chokehold of their social circumstances. Hamlin King (Harris Cain) is trying to find a job to keep him and his mum afloat while finishing school. Between his nightmares about hellish interviews and the constant news of boys dying on the street, Williams introduces characters that are clearly defined by the constraints of their class.

It should be a piece rife with social commentary, overflowing with damning denunciations of a government that doesn't care, but it's redundant and predictable with its slogan-like dialogues and surplus chatter. Hamlin is charmed by his friend Quinn's easy-money scheme, so he goes from dreaming of being a software developer to dealing drugs armed with a knife while talking of benefits and how dangerous the streets have become happen around him.

Williams' observational skills are undoubtedly precise, but the tension is eased by some text that seems to be taken straight from a job-seeking leaflet, a YouGov page, or an official website. It's too explanatory and often arbitrarily departs brusquely from natural speech patterns. Hamlin and Quinn are MLE-speaking, worried lads on the cusp of manhood who are led astray by Nic, a yelly, boastful active dealer and his promises.

While Lara Genovese's direction is excessively frontal and hectic, it's also surprisingly nurturing towards a few of the performances. This results in a weirdly imbalanced production. On one end, Cain and Kiza Deen (Mama H). On the other, Andrew Evans (Nic). Inaam Barwani (Quinn) is a bridge between the two. Deen is exquisite as the apprehensive mother, busy with her sage and money-related troubles, but belongs to a different show.

Immersed in tradition with a dash of superstition, she names her plants and keeps Hamlin centred on the right path. She is a beacon of peace and a spot of light when the stage isn't engulfed by testosterone and reports of slashings and deals. At the opposing pole, Evans is a sly monster in his compact irascibility. He is ageless and could be their schoolmate as well as an older boy who's taking advantage of the generations below his. But Evans' act is baffling.

It's all a bit excessive and strains towards a severe shortage of nuance and depth as the drama develops. Cain himself starts off with a compelling performance that unfortunately dwindles down to a stock image you'd find under "troubled youth". The subject Williams wants to tackle is timely and urgent - especially during a cost-of-living crisis - but King Hamlin only scrapes the top of the issue and doesn't offer a well-rounded theatrical reflection on it. Its lack of subtlety in order to avoid any misinterpretation prevents it from delivering a thorough examination.

The script runs in circles just like Hamlin aimlessly paces his cluttered sitting room (also designed by Genovese with great purpose). The writer packs the project with top-shelf themes. Racism, inequality, unemployment, masculinity, gang culture, social media, street violence, class, education. The failure of a system that should support but only cuts. Sadly, it remains a blanket list of social issues.

King Hamlin runs at the Park Theatre until 12 November.

Photo credit: Steve Gregson

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